Comunanza: Sacred Art and Historic Routes

In Comunanza, sacred art and historic architecture meet routes through the landscape. Churches, a museum and a Roman bridge offer different ways to explore the town’s history. The area also has Lago di Gerosa, a local specialty and several trekking and cycling options.

Sacred Art and Architectural History

The Museo di arte sacra di Comunanza is housed in Palazzo Pascali. Its collection includes an 18th-century processional cross with a depiction of Christ dating from the 14th century. The depiction is attributed to the goldsmith Pietro Vannini from Ascoli. The same object therefore brings two distinct periods into view: the time when the cross was made and the time when the depiction was created.

The churches, too, preserve different traces of history. Chiesa di Santa Maria a Terme dates from the 9th century and was built over the remains of a temple dedicated to Dionysus. Chiesa di San Francesco was built in the late 13th century over the remains of a fortified building above an old mill. Behind its main altar is a 16th-century fresco showing Saint Francis receiving the stigmata. Its attribution to Sebastiano Ghezzi is considered possible, but not certain.

Chiesa di S.Anna was built of sandstone in the 9th century and also stands over the remains of a temple dedicated to Dionysus. The church preserves remnants of frescoes dated to around the 13th century. Chiesa di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria was rebuilt in the 18th century in the Neoclassical style. Its furnishings include a monumental two-manual organ with more than 2,000 pipes, which came from the Basilica della Santa Casa di Loreto. The churches thus differ both in their architectural histories and in the works of art and furnishings preserved in each one.

Another historic structure is the Roman bridge at Gerosa. It crosses the River Aso along the route of the ancient Via Salaria. Palazzo Pascali is also home to the Biblioteca civica, which occupies three rooms there and opened to the public in July 2008. The library hosts book presentations, themed gatherings, seminars and theatrical events. The museum and library therefore share the same building but offer different cultural points of interest.

Landscape and Routes

Lago di Gerosa can be reached via the municipality of Comunanza. The predominant vegetation around the lake includes downy oaks, hop-hornbeams, hornbeams, chestnut trees, ash trees, spruces and Aleppo pines. The variety of tree species listed gives you a concrete sense of the vegetation that characterizes the lake’s surroundings.

For trekking enthusiasts, Stage 7 of the CFM is a route from Comunanza to Venarotta. The GABA trail covers 100 kilometers over seven stages and passes through Ascoli Piceno, Venarotta, Comunanza, Roccafluvione, Montegallo and Acquasanta Terme. This gives you a choice between one specific, named stage and a route made up of several stages. A circular cycling route is called “Amandola - Smerillo - Comunanza - Amandola” and starts in the center of Amandola. These options each feature different places and types of route, so choose the one that best suits your travel plans.

A Local Specialty

Tordo Matto alla Comunanzese has been considered a distinctive and exclusive specialty of the town center and some of the municipality’s hamlets for about half a century. This timeframe is approximate; the specialty is a local culinary point of reference, though no precise date of origin is given. Together with the churches, sacred art and routes, it offers another way to experience Comunanza—especially if you would like your trip to cover more than one area of interest.

Discover more destinations: Spinetoli, Capradosso, Castorano, Porchia, Massignano, Illice, Montecchio, Carassai.

For the broader travel overview: Ascoli Piceno.